Jason, Pallas and Domitian in Valerius Flaccus' Argonautica

TL;DRAbstract

Minerva is at the very heart of things in Valerius' epic.As far as we can tell this was deliberate; ApoUonius' earlier version of the same legend, by contrast, consistently foregrounds Apollo.Minerva's appearances, however, change as Valerius' epic unfolds.The goddess is particularly prominent in the second half of the poem.I will argue that this is the result of the influence of the enthusiasm of the emperor Domitian for this Olympian divinity.Minerva's role changes in other, more subtle, ways.Initially protector of Jason she comes to withdraw her approval from the hero-markedly so in Books 7-8.This no doubt is one result of a myth in which Jason seldom fares well.But more still is involved.Valerius, by appealing to the Argonautic legend, seeks a mythic, heroic prototype for the Roman emperor and his empire (much as Virgil does with the Aeneas legend).Valerius' optimistic equation was ill chosen, for Jason was too ambiguous a hero for such an analogic function.Minerva's growing disapp

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